Poll: Paul leads tight GOP pack for 2016

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) narrowly tops a packed group of potential GOP presidential candidates in a poll released Sunday.

According to a CNN-ORC poll, Paul brings in 16 percent of the vote among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. He is narrowly trailed by Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) with 15 percent and Texas Gov. Rick Perry with 11 percent, both inside the margin of error. 

{mosads}Paul has been coming off an impressive showing at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month, where he won the CPAC straw poll for the second year in a row. He topped another straw poll on Saturday in New Hampshire at the Northeast Republican Leadership Conference. 

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee brought in 10 percent in the new poll, while Florida Gov. Jeb Bush scored 9 percent. Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie each had 8 percent. 

Polling in the GOP primary has consistently shown a tight pack, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has dominated polls for the Democratic nomination. 

She leads Democrats with 63 percent of the vote compared to Vice President Biden’s 13 percent, according to the poll. 

The poll surveyed 367 people affiliated with the Republican party and 372 people aligned with the Democratic Party. It contains a 5-percentage-point margin of error.